2018 Symposium on Youth Violence Prevention

We invited local organizations to present their current or upcoming initiatives related to the goals in the plan, and to provide networking and brainstorming sessions throughout the symposium. In addition, local youth shared their perspectives and ideas in multiple sessions. The goal of the symposium was to educate, empower, and build consensus around a coordinated approach to youth violence prevention. CCYVC has developed a data-driven, participant-informed plan based on the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention model over the past year. The 2018 symposium highlighted the goals, objectives, and strategies outlined in the plan.

 

 

Background

In 2017, Hon. Lawrence DeBello, Superior Court Judge for Mercer County, charged the Trenton Prevention Policy Board (now CCYVC) with developing a collaborative plan to address violence perpetrated by and against youth in the capital city. The Trenton Youth Violence Reduction Action Strategy (TYVRAS), currently in development, follows the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention model, which has been successfully implemented in cities like Boston, Camden, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The strategy engages stakeholders in four areas on the youth development continuum: Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement, and Reentry.

TYVRAS provides a framework to coordinate efforts to reduce youth violence, as well as lead to measurable reductions in the prevalence of youth violence in Trenton.  Specific outcomes are being developed by working groups as part of the process.

In addition, as long-term outcomes of the development of the plan, participating organizations will:

• Identify and address gaps in services that could reduce factors leading to youth violence, providing organizations a better sense of where the greatest needs are systemically
• Gain access to reliable, up-to-date data and information as part of a sustained infrastructure of data-sharing and communication
• Be part of a coordinated network of organizations applying for funding to increase collaboration among entities and to improve Trenton’s chances of receiving funding
• Be part of a single venue for communication from regional, state, and federal entities about initiatives, trends, and funding opportunities related to youth violence and other related issues
• Participate in a coordinated communication effort to combat misleading and factually inaccurate representations of Trenton based on the shared information and data that guides the process
• Gain access to and awareness of a network of experts from the non-profits, public agencies, higher education, and others
• Learn what policies, programs, and practices are most effective at addressing Trenton specific issues based on current data in Trenton and in the broader youth prevention field

About the National Forum

The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention is a network of communities and federal agencies that work together, share information and build local capacity to prevent and reduce youth violence. Established at the direction of President Obama in 2010, the Forum brings together people from diverse professions and perspectives to learn from each other about the crisis of youth and gang violence in the U.S and to build comprehensive solutions on the local and national levels.